Unfortunately, the club's audio system was outdated and had been pieced together over the course of several years. "The last system install happened about twelve years ago," said Kevin 'Spyder' Wright, entertainment manager for the club. "When we decided to update the audio system, we asked the local musicians who play here everyday what they needed and also contacted other clubs to see what they have installed."
Wright turned to Paul van Puffelen of Southern Technical Support Inc in Miami Beach, Florida for the bar's recent updates. Van Puffelen acted as system co-designer, installer and SLV integrator and worked with Mike Harris of Harris Audio Systems in Miami who supplied the audio equipment with Harris serving as system co-designer. The sound design took into account one of Sloppy Joe's main issues, which was intelligibility. The club needed to have crystal clear sound without adding volume to the room, and to have even coverage around the room without taking the focus from the stage or losing the direction of the sound.
In the main room, there are two Martin Audio W8C compact three-way mid/high cabinets per side of the stage flown with a Blackline S218 Dual-driver vented sub-bass cabinet under the stage on each side. Since the bar is in the middle of the room, the main stage speakers are rigged at an angle that focuses the sound between the stage and bar in the seating areas. As a result, the levels at the bar area are kept lower and people can order their drinks and converse easily. Two additional Martin Audio Blackline F8 ultra-compact two-way passive loudspeakers are used as stage side fill with another two Martin Audio Blackline F8s used as delayed fill by the front door entrance. The front door fills on the other side of the bar gives the impression that it is lively at the entrance and draws people in towards the stage. "The speaker outputs are quite focused; it was easy to contain the sound in certain areas and also within the open building as there are strict sound ordinances in Key West, " said van Puffelen.
On stage, four Martin LE12JB floor monitors have been highly complimented by the bar's musicians for their smooth response and clarity, as well as their power handling and output. A Martin LE400C monitor gives the drum wedge a little more kick with a 15" woofer. The Back room Saloon and the Speak Easy bar were also each outfitted with two Martin Audio F8s, a BSS Soundweb 9012 wall remote and an LG 42" plasma display. Both rooms have local and front room video from the main room's Soundweb 9016 AV switcher.
"Overall, Martin Audio/Soundweb combo was the perfect package for this club with such varied needs and sources," said van Puffelen. "Martin Audio also has a great record with us for standing up to the elements. Sloppy Joe's is basically an open air bar a block from the ocean. We have outdoor Martin Audio systems in multiple sea-side outdoor locations in the Caribbean so we knew that this would not be a problem for Sloppy Joe's."
(Lee Baldock)
